Clamping strap assembly



April 6, 1965 w. E. SAMPSON CLAMPING STRAP ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 21, 1963 FIGE INVENTOR WALTER EDWARD SAMPSON BY fidwia FIGS ATTORNEYS United States Patent F 3,176,368 CLAMPING STRAP ASSEMBLY Walter Edward Sampson, Westtield, Ni, assignor to Blonder-Tongue Electronics, Newark, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 317,611 9 Claims. (Cl. 24-2dti) The present invention relates to clamping strap assemblies such as those suitable for strapping antenna supports and other elements to masts and the like.

While numerous types of strapping clamps have been evolved and used for many years in diverse applications, they generally require the use of tools and/ or ancillary tensioning or locking apparatus for applying and removing the same. In such applications as the mounting or demounting of mast-supported antenna structures and the like, however, it is most desirable that the clamp be automatically applied or removed by hand operation only without the necessity for tools; and that, particularly in the television field, the clamping structure provide excellent grounding connection and resistance to the effects of windproduced vibration as well, together with the feature of low-cost so essential for the highly competitive tantenna market.

An object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a new and improved low-cost, but highly effective, clamping strap assembly of this character operable by hand without the necessity for even elementary tools.

A further object is to provide an improved clamp of more general utility, also.

Other and further objects will be hereinafter explained and more particularly delineated in the appended claims.

In summary, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a substantially U-shaped tensioning member provided with an aperture in each of the arms of the U, one aperture in one of the arms being disposed more remote from the neck of the U than the other and receiving a resilient strap tied at one end to the said one arm within the said one aperture and free at its other end, a tensioning screw extending through the neck of the U between the said arms, and a nut extending transversely between the arms of the U and provided with an ofiset aperture receiving the other arm of the U-shaped member and secured to the end of the tensioning screw at one side of the plate aperture.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, FIG. 1 of which is an isometric view of a preferred form of clamping strap assembly-embodying the invention, with the parts shown disassembled;

FIG. 2 is a top elevation of an initial step in clamping the structure of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of the totally clamped assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1, the assembly employs a substantially U-shaped tensioning member 1 the arms 3 and 3 of which are intermediately jogged to form terminal L- shaped portions 3" and 3 of respectively longer and shorter lengths for a reason later explained. The arm 3-3" contains a preferably substantially rectangular aperture extending over an appreciable length of the portion 3, while the arm 3'-3" is provided with an aperture 5' in the region of the commencement of the L- shaped portion 3, so as to produce communicating aperture regions in the offset planes of the arm portion 3' and the arm portion 3'. The forward wall of the aperture 5 is provided with a dimpled region 5" the function of which will also be subsequently explained.

At the neck 1' of the U, a tensioning screw 2, having a hand-operable wing-nut or handle 2', is threaded within 3,l7h,35$ fatented Apr. 6, 1965 an aperture 2". The screw 2 fixedly terminates at a side region 4 of a plate 4 that receives the arm portion 3" within a centrally offset substantially rectangular aperture 4"; the plate 4 extending transversely between the arm portions 3-3', as more particularly shown in FIG. 2, and being movable forward and backward between the arms of the U-shaped member 1 as the screw 2 is hand-turned within the neck opening 2". A protrusion of the screw 2 preferably extends beyond the plate for a purpose later made evident.

A resilient clamping strap 6, as of stainless steel or the like, is secured or tied at one end to the member 1, as by looping the same through the aperture 5 at 6". In operation, the free end 6 of the strap 6 is looped back at L about the mast M and antenna or other support S to be clamped, FIG. 2, and is passed through the aperture 5 along the front surface of the plate 4, opposite the scraw 2, and through the aperture 5, being bent back over the dimpled wall 5" thereof. As the screw 2 is turned by hand to push the plate 4 to the right in the direction of the arrow A, FIG. 3, the plate 4 with its protrusion 8 bends the adjacent portion of the strap 6 from the solid-line to the dotted-line position of FIG. 3, tightening the major strap clamping loop L about the elements M and S. This operation is rendered possible by the fact that the aperture 5, in the 3", is disposed more remote from the neck 1', of the U-shaped member than the aperture 5' of the arm 3". in the member arms assist in preventing mis-orientation of the plate 4 during this operation, and provide required additional width for doubling over of bent sections of the strap 6.

Locking action is provided as the portion of the strap 6 near the aperture 5 is deformed into a minor loop L by being forced through the inside portion of the plate aperture 4" (on the same side as the screw 2), through the multiple offset plane aperture 5 and over the dimpled wall 5" that serves to extrude the metal of the strap bent thereover and thus tightly lock the same, and back through the portion of the plate aperture 4" outside the arm 3". This construction insures that as the screw 2 is further tightened, substantially all the tightening action takes place in the major loop L, enabling automatic hand application (or removal) with inherent tool-less tightening action.

Modifications will also occur to those skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A clamping strap assembly having, in combination, a substantially U-shaped tensioning member comprising a transverse neck connecting a pair of longitudinally extending arms and provided with an aperture in each of the arms of the U-shaped member, one aperture in one of the arms being disposed more remote from the neck of the U-shaped member than the other and receiving a resilient strap tied at one end to the said one arm within the said one aperture and free at its other end, a tensioning screw extending through the neck of the U-shaped member between the said arms, and a plate partly extending transversely between the arms of the U-shaped memher and provided with an offset aperture for receiving the other arm of the U-shaped member and secured to the end of the tensioning screw at one side of the plate aperture, the strap being tensioned into a major clamping loop with its said free end passed through the said one arm aperture along the surface of the tensioning plate opposite the tensioning screw through the said other member aperture, the plate being tightened against the portion of the strap along its said opposite surface by adjustment of the tensioning screw within the member, deforming a section of the strap into a minor loop extending through the plate The flanges formed by the L-shaped bends aperture on the side between the said other member arm and the screw, locking-over the other arm aperture and passing back through the plate aperture on the outer side of the said other member arm. V

2. A clamping strap aisse'mbl'y as'cl'aimed in claim 1 and in which the said other arm and its aperture are respectivelyshorter than the said one armand its aperture.

3. A clamping str'ap a'ssembly as'claimed in claim 1- and in whicheach of the member arms is deformed into L-shape. i

4. A clamping, strap assembly as claimed in claim 71 and in which the said other arm aperture is provided at the region of commencement of an L-sha'ped portion thereof to produce communicatingaperture regions in offs'etlpl'an'es.

5. A clamping strap assembly as claimed in claim and in which the said other-arm aperture is provided with -a diinpled wall for extrusion-locking the strap tensioned there-over. b

6.'A clamping strap assembly having, in combination, a substantially U-shaped' tensi'oning member comprising a transverse neck connecting a' pair of longitudinally extending arms and provided with an aperture in each of the arms of the U-shaped member one aperture in one of the armsbeing disposed more remote from the neck a of the U-shaped member than the other and receiving, a resilient straprtied at one end to the said one annwithin the said one aperture and free at its other end, a tension-- ing screwxextending through the neck of the U s'hzipeld; member between the said arms, and-a plate'partly extend-V ing transversely between the arms of the U-shaped memi and in which the said other arm'apertu're is provided at offset planes.

the region of commencement of an intermediate jog thereof to produce communicating aperture regions in 8."A clamping strap assembly as claimed in claim 7 I and in which the said other-arm aperture is provided with a, dimpled 'wall for extrusion-locki'ng the strap te'n'sio'ned I there-over." 1

9. A clamping strap as'semblv as claimed in claim 8 and in which the plate is provided with a protruding her and provided withan offset aperture for receiving the 7 element on its said surfacethat bears against the said portion of the strap extending therealong ReferenceslCited by the Examiner UNITED sTAT-Es PATENTS 5/51 'Streyckmans ,24--2s0 V FOREIGN. PATENTS p 47,788 1 4/37 France. 1 2

49,3 1 11/38 France.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLAMPING STRAP ASSEMBLY HAVING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED TENSIONING MEMBER COMPRISING A TRANSVERSE NECK CONNECTING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ARMS AND PROVIDED WITH AN APERTURE IN EACH OF THE ARMS OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER, ONE APERTURE IN ONE OF THE ARMS BEING DISPOSED MORE REMOTE FROM THE NECK OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER THAN THE OTHER AND RECEIVING A RESILIENT STRAP TIED AT ONE END TO THE SAID ONE ARM WITHIN THE SAID ONE APERTURE AND FREE AT ITS OTHER END, A TENSIONING SCREW EXTENDING THROUGH THE NECK OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER BETWEEN THE SAID ARMS, AND A PLATE PARTLY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN THE ARM OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER AND PRIVIDED WITH AN OFFSET APERTURE FOR RECEIVING THE OTHER ARM OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER AND SECURED TO THE END OF THE TENSIONING SCREW AT ONE SIDE OF THE PLATE APERTURE, THE STRAP BEING TENSIONED INTO A MAJOR CLAMPING LOOP WITH ITS SAID FREE PASSED THROUGH THE SAID ONE ARM APERTURE ALONG THE SURFACE OF THE TENSIONING PLATE OPPOSITE THE TENSIONING SCREW THROUGH THE SAID OTHER MEMBER APERTURE, THE PLATE BEING TIGHTENED AGAINST THE PORTION OF THE STRAP ALONG ITS SAID OPPOSITE SURFACE BY ADJUSTMENT OF THE TENSIONING SCREW WITHIN THE MEMBER, DEFORMING A SECTION OF THE STRAP INTO A MINOR LOOP EXTENDING THROUGH THE PLATE APERTURE ON THE SIDE BETWEEN THE SAID OTHER MEMBER ARM AND THE SCREW, LOCKING-OVER THE OTHER ARM APERTURE AND PASSING BACK THROUGH THE PLATE APERTURE ON THE OUTER SIDE OF THE SAID OTHER MEMBER ARM. 